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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 09 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USBulldog highs and lows
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Stegeman Coliseum can really rock when it’s packed with fans and students for a Georgia team that’s playing the way UGA athletic teams are expected to play.
None of that was the case Saturday as Dennis Felton’s basketball Bulldogs closed out their regular season with a typically frustrating game against Ole Miss.
The official attendance was 7,774, but it looked like only about half that number were actually there. It was Senior Day, a particularly bittersweet time this year with Sundiata Gaines and Dave Bliss closing out their careers in an extremely disappointing season. Plus there was a long, loud final ovation for the late Kevin Brophy, who would have been playing his last game as a Bulldog.
Always a streaky team this season, Georgia managed to build a lead in each half and then go completely cold. The Dogs’ shooting was abysmal most of the day, but because Ole Miss wasn’t really impressing anyone, the game stayed close for the first two-thirds.
Then Georgia went into its typical tailspin and you sat there wondering. Why did Felton just sit on the bench watching instead of calling a timeout and trying to rally his troops while there was still time? Why didn’t he pull Jeremy Price, who seemingly could do little but foul and allow the Rebels to pad their lead at the free-throw line? What might this season have been like if Felton had recruited kids who bothered to go to class? Was this the end of the Felton era we were watching, or will he get another year?
All in all, a depressing day at the Steg. One UGA fan, who’d been loudly trying to support the defense in the second half, summed up the mood when he greeted the final whistle with a sing-song chant: “Let’s play football!”
Speaking of which, a stop by the Borders store at Beechwood in Athens after the game produced a nice surprise when I spotted the official BCS DVD release of the 2008 Sugar Bowl. Included is the complete Fox telecast of the black-clad Dawgs’ dismantling of Colt Brennan and Hawaii (minus the commercials but unfortunately not minus the Fox crew’s pro-Warriors whining), plus some bonus features: “Shortcuts” (highlights of each quarter), unnarrrated season highlights for each team, both fight songs, the post-game show, and a wrap-up discussion of the role the polls play in teams’ thinking nowadays.
A nice treat for Dawg fans, especially those like my son who were at the game and didn’t get to see the original telecast.
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Comments
By AltamahaDawg
March 9, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
I would say the highlight of this year’s basketball season was indeed the Sugar Bowl DVD coming out.
By pj
March 9, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this
I actually like Coach Felton and agree with his stance on the discipline issues, but perhaps in getting a tough minded guy like him, Georgia overcompensated for the free-wheeling, do whatever you want approach of the Harricks.
UGA has a decent gym, a great campus, a monster set of facilities and are in a region of the country where recruits are there to be had….
He’s had enough time.
Sorry coach, but I think it’s time we start over…. again.
By DontForget
March 9, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
I think most people feel it’s time for a change. But what has happened to the women’s bball team? A star on the outside and inside, this should have been a great year. If they come out flat game after game, who is to blame for that? Team leadership or the coach? Landers has been great for UGA but they are quickly moving backwards not forward. Are we not getting the ‘stars’ anymore?
By GW
March 9, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
Get rid of Felton ONLY if we are going to pay for an established big-time coach that has proven himself. Every mid-major guy looking to move up is not a Tubby.
By Bob Sacamano
March 9, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
People erroneously say Coach Felton has had five years. He hasn’t had five years, not the same kind of five years that most basketball coaches would be given to turn a program around. When you factor in the impossible situation that the first two years of his tenure were, he’s really only had three full years to turn this situation around.
I believe in what Coach Felton is doing. I believe in what Coach Felton has done. I support Coach Felton. I believe he deserves if not another full year, but two more years to get this thing working. It’s the right thing to do. Like kicking Brown and Mercer off the team were the right things to do. Don’t forget to count in the impossible and just snake-bitten injuries he’s had the last two years. If Mercer doesn’t mess up his knee last year, the Dawgs make the Dance, and that’s a fact. If these two freshman don’t get hurt this year, then the Dawgs at least make the NIT.
I understand the argument that maybe he shouldn’t have taken in Mercer or Brown, but when he recruited them in the middle of cleaning up Harrick’s mess, his pickens as they say, were slim. Also, although it’s nice to look at the standards that Felton and Evans have adopted for the whole athletic department (and it was Felton, not Coach Richt, who was the catalyst for the strong new rules, you better believe that), those standards tend to make it harder on Coach Felton to recruit the kind of talent that is good at basketball. Let’s be honest here, across the nation, basketball teams usually have the worst GPA’s, the highest non-graduation rates, the lowest test scores, even more-so than football. The first two years of his tenure should not count against him. Using that fair logic, this is really year three. I say give him two more years, or at least one more. Otherwise, we fire this great man, and someone else gets to reap the benefits that he’s sown. And that would be wrong.
As for the sUGAr Bowl, I attended it as well, but I recorded it on my DVR (I’ve also since purchased it on iTunes), and that was one of the single worst jobs done by a team of football announcers ever. Thom Brenneman should be not only ashamed of himself, that baseball man should not be allowed within 100 feet of a football announcer’s booth. The fact that his partner had to give him lessons on how college football worked in the 4th quarter despite that morons constant heartache for Hawai’i, even going to the point that he apologized many times for the Hawai’i offense “never getting started” without giving any praise to the Dawg defense, was reprehensible. Absolutely terrible.
By Mike
March 9, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
We are in a “catch 22”. I do not think we should let DF go unless we have someone to replace him. How can we pursue a coach while we have a coach? Do not want to see any reports of Leeburn on a plane to hire a coach while we have a coach ala Auburn.
If we are to punish DF for the results of his discipline/recruiting what kind of message is this sending to the new coach. I would love to see a change in direction, but I a afraid we are stuck with DF. Hopefully, in the long run, DF will prove the man for the job.
On another note, do not expect to be in the top 10 of the Sears Cup, or whatever they are calling the all-around sports honor this year. Outside of football all programs have backslid a little.
By allenlaw
March 9, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this
I was among those who had thoughts of firing Coach Felton, but I have changed my mind. Why? Well, to put it frankly, Georgia cannot do better. He is a quality coach in a difficult spot and there is no one waiting to step up with half his qualifications and experience. As much as we hate to admit it, Georgia has never been a good basketball school. The only way to get to good is “slow and steady” and no one we hire tomorrow will be as close to the prize as the man we have today.
By Buzzfan®
March 9, 2008 5:27 PM | Link to this
*
*
TRANSCEND “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate”!
Help a TECH fan support The St Baldrick’s Foundation in honor of UGA fan Hacker Dawg’s son!!!
THANKS!!!
*
Buzzfan®
*
By GADevildawg
March 9, 2008 6:19 PM | Link to this
Bill - did they edit out the part where Brenneman calls us Gators during the broadcast?
By GADevildawg
March 9, 2008 6:20 PM | Link to this
Bill - did they edit out the part where Brenneman calls us Gators during the broadcast?
By Jon
March 9, 2008 6:27 PM | Link to this
Hey Buzzfan, good luck with your fantastic endeavor. More kids need somebody like you.
By AltamahaDawg
March 9, 2008 6:43 PM | Link to this
or the outright embarrasing part of critisizing the coaches challange, only to realize (and never mention) that is was a 4th down no-catch possession situation? Could those guys have glossed over that any quicker?
By pj
March 9, 2008 6:59 PM | Link to this
I understand the opinion that DF is a classy guy and we might not could do any better, but keep this in mind…
While I agree that he has been thrust into a (literal) no-win situation, and he should be strict with his expectations… this doesn’t have to be Joe Clark in “Lean on Me”. I still say we overcompensated for Jim Harrick by getting someone that was so much the antithesis of his lax and scandalous approach.
No matter what AD Evans decides, I agree that DF is a good man, and maybe one or more of his former players will go on to be successful in life because of the hard life lessons they were taught.
By Pat
March 9, 2008 9:16 PM | Link to this
First of all I don’t see Evans paying Felton not to coach. Keep him unless we are going to pay market price for a proven winner. The Sugar announcers are what you get with a network that does not cover college football during the season. There they(FOX) are for the biggest games of the year. $$$ always trumps logic.
By BeachGaBulldog
March 9, 2008 9:41 PM | Link to this
When I read what Felton said yesterday, it just made me want him to be FIRED EVEN MORE! Why would you NOT call a timeout when your team is outscored 26-6. His excuse is “I didn’t feel it”. What a joke! And then that crap he was talking about with the RPI, St. Bonaventure, etc. I wonder how long he had been working on preparing that speech prior to Georgia losing another game. Everytime I have seen the Dawgs on TV, Felton just seems to stand there, sometimes shouting instructions, but that is it. I never see any emotion. Donovan and Pearl are so much better than Felton could ever DREAM TO BE. PLEASE DAMON, FIRE THAT IDIOT!
By watcher16
March 10, 2008 12:01 AM | Link to this
We need to make the financial contributions too. We got a great practice facility. Ok. Now show our commitment by updating the Stegasaurus!
By Stafford>Tebow
March 10, 2008 12:33 AM | Link to this
BeachGaBulldog, i agree completely with what you just said. after reading that post game article, i was disgusted. felton is in over his head at UGA. he only had one head coaching stop before UGA and that was at Western Kentucky. he just isnt up for the challenge of rebuilding a major D1 basketball program in a power conference like the SEC.
FIRE FELTON!!! BRING BACK TUBBY!!!!!
By 59bulldawg
March 10, 2008 7:03 AM | Link to this
**By DontForget
March 9, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
I think most people feel it’s time for a change. But what has happened to the women’s bball team? A star on the outside and inside, this should have been a great year. If they come out flat game after game, who is to blame for that? Team leadership or the coach? Landers has been great for UGA but they are quickly moving backwards not forward. Are we not getting the ‘stars’ anymore?**
DontForget I feel your frustration about Landers. He’s accomplished much at the University of Georgia but he hit the ceiling years ago as a coach and has now been eclipsed by the Pat Summits and the Geno Auriemmas of the world. As a result I don’t think he’s getting the quantity of star players that he used to easily get when the Lady Dawgs were going to the sweet 16, great 8, final 4, and championship games almost every year. You can now pretty much bet on 20 wins and 8-10 losses almost every year. But very little fire and heart in either the team or the coach and as a result little to get excited about in the tournament. In my view and I hate to admit it because I know things could always be worse, I think the women’s basketball program needs a new coach as well. Landers is a HOF coach that just never got over the hump to win it all.
By DJ
March 10, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
I don’t understand how anyone could say that Felton deserves another chance at Georgia. He quit on his team this weekend just like he quit on Brown and Mercer this year. It’s easy to sit there and loose games then make excuses. It’s easy to just kick kids to the curb when you can’t figure out how to motivate them. That’s not coaching. His team quit on him just like he quit on them. I have not seen any team in the country give up on players as fast and quick as Felton has. Felton just has not figured it out yet. So go Damon, waste another season on this jerk. You havent figured it out either Mr. AD. Anyone can take over UGA football as an AD. they would be sucesseful with Mickey Mouse as the AD. Do something good and produce a better basketball coach. One that can coach.
By Bill King
March 10, 2008 11:00 AM | Link to this
My name is Bill King. I got this goofy looking UGA shirt from WalMart. It wasn’t even on sale!
Sorry for this edition of my blog. I’m smart enough to know that UGA fans don’t give a hoot about basketball. Especially those of us, myself included, that didn’t go to UGA and don’t really know which roads lead to Athens anyway. Sorry to waste all of your time.
Yours,
Bill
By timthebrave
March 10, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
I think he deserves 2 years more with an understanding of no NCAA tournament bids in the next 2 years than you are gone. I’m not talking NIT(The chance to be #65)
By scooter11
March 10, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this
Glad someone recognized that the other b’ball program at UGA needs some attention, also. That team is rumored to have some serious talent, but it was woefully absent against KY last weekend. Underacheived yet again.
By Thomaston Dawg
March 11, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this
Two names -
Maya Moore - Ranked as 2nd best high school senior in 2007. Committed to UConn.
Kelley Cain - Ranked as 6th best high school senior in 2007. Committed to Tennessee.
Drey Mingo - Ranked as the 15th best high school senior in 2007. Committed to Maryland.
What do these 3 have in common? All 3 are from Georgia and none stayed home to play ball. In fact, the highest rated player Georgia got was #39.
We have all known all along that Landers couldn’t coach well enough to win the big game, but he was able to survive by being a good recruiter and keeping the best of the in-state talent here. Now he can’t even do that. Definitely time for him to go.
I understand that there are not that many Pat Summits around, but losing 13 of 14 and 18 of 20 to Tennessee means they officially own us. I’m sure there is some young, enthusiastic coach out there who would be able to make the Lady Bulldogs believe they can beat UT. Landers has outlived his usefulness if he can’t even recruit anymore.
By Thomaston Dawg
March 11, 2008 2:58 PM | Link to this
Well, that was actually 3 names…
By dtay
March 11, 2008 7:31 PM | Link to this
…and Ketia Swanier (sp) Columbus,Ga - UConn.
By Lake Oconee Dawg
March 16, 2008 8:42 AM | Link to this
It time for Coach Landers to hang it up! A great recruiter but he can’t win the games required to move on. Need to start over with a young coach. Then he could spend more time on his farm.
By TommyP
March 16, 2008 9:24 AM | Link to this
Just waiting for your next complaint-filled blog on Felton, BILL.
By gphttp://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/techfans/entries/2008/03/15/thoughts_on_riv.html
March 16, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this
The GT fan blog has more about the fundraising efforts on Chayton’s behalf…
Great story